For nearly a decade, an adventure camp stowed away in Tessentee in the southern part of Macon County went untouched. Bunk houses were beginning to crumble, the camp's fire ring was swallowed by poison ivy, and a high ropes course built in the ’70s blended in with native pines. What was once a destination for Boy and Girl Scout troops from across the region, had quickly tumbled into an overgrown wasteland with just a few years of neglect.

But all that has changed, and Macon County is well on its way to once again being home to one of western North Carolina's best kept secrets, a prime adventure camp abundant in natural resources.

Last week Porter Street was temporarily blocked as 11 new tanks were delivered to the Lazy Hiker Brewing Co., bringing the new business one step closer to opening its doors.

After having the 11 tanks custom-made for the brewery, they were delivered and set up in the warehouse in the back of Franklin's old town hall last week. Noah McIntee, head brewer for Franklin's first brewery, said with the addition of the tanks, just one more piece of the puzzle is needed to begin brewing exceptional craft beer.

"These 11 tanks put us a little closer to where we need to be to get the doors open and the beer flowing," said McIntee.

On Saturday, April 13, a group of about 50 volunteers comprised of a diverse group of citizens from the Franklin and Highlands areas joined forces to clean up the Cullasaja River Gorge's roadsides and river banks.

This initiative is one of the Highlands Chamber of Commerce's ongoing annual projects to help keep area natural resources clean. The cleanup takes place every spring during the NCDOT's clean sweep week and has been headed up by the Highlands Chamber for the last 10 years.

This year, members of Venture Local Franklin, Franklin Chamber of Commerce staff/board members, Stay And Play in the Smokies, and others joined in to make an even bigger impact on this stretch of the “Mountain Waters Scenic Byway.” Of the 50 volunteers on Saturday, 20 volunteers represented Franklin.

"Franklin and Highlands market this same stretch of scenic highway for tourism and recreation purposes, and its very important for both communities to keep the roadsides of Highway 64 as beautiful as the natural assets that surround them,” said volunteer Matt Bateman. “So we decided to reach out to Jennifer Smathers at the Highlands Chamber Visitor Center to join forces."

Bateman, who is a member of Venture Local Franklin (VLF) and tour guide, believes it is important to build a mutual cooperation to take full ownership in maintaining the natural beauty of the roadside. "One of VLF's goals is to continue to reach out to other groups and entities within Franklin and beyond, so we can work together on moving Franklin forward in a positive direction," said Bateman.

The combined effort bagged litter from just above Cullasaja Falls, all the way up to the city limits of Highlands. More than 100 bags were filled by volunteers and hauled away by the U.S. Forest Service.

Main Street Coffee & Tea in downtown Franklin donated coffee for the volunteers of Franklin, while Bill and Sharon Van Horn donated bagels from Dills Creek Bagel Co. also of Franklin.

To finish the day, volunteers were treated to a cookout provided by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce at the Cliffside Lake Recreation Area.